The Glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 Several  Centuries  After  It  Had  Last 
 Belonged To Us, We  Went On An Outing To 
 The Glass Factory  That  Bore Our Family 
 Name. It  Had Changed Owners Many  Times 
 Since  Our  Ancestors  Death,  And  Then 
 Stood  Abandoned   For   A  Long  While. 
 Finally,  The Natural  End  Station  For 
 The  Buildings  That Survive:  A Museum, 
 And A Gift Shop.                         
                                          
 There'S  A  Long  Time  Since My  Family 
 Made Anything.  By  Many,  We  Would  Be 
 Considered Poor.                         
                                          
 There Are  Two  Main Factory  Buildings, 
 Domed Things Of  Several Floors, Made In 
 Yellow Brick. Large But  Narrow Windows, 
 Reminescent     Of    Some    Cathedral. 
 Custom-Made Glass, Of Course,  Large And 
 LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit  Too Dark To Be 
 Practical.   On  The  Eastern  Building, 
 Some Are Shattered.                      
                                          
 The Other One Is  Publicly Open. There'S 
 A Museum, With Wax Figures  Of My  Great 
 Great  Great Grandfather,  Or Something. 
 Various Tools (Or  Replicas) Laid Out On 
 Tables,  With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of 
 Glass     Of     Varying      Thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 I Quickly Sneak Out,  And Climb Into The 
 Other   Building.   The    Contrast   Is 
 Overwhelming.   It   Must   Have   Stood 
 Derelict  For  A   Long   Time,  Windows 
 Broken,  Metallic  Trash  And  Pools  Of 
 Dark  Glass   All  Over  The  Floor.  No 
 Electric  Lights, But I Can See  By  The 
 Light That  Shines In  Wherever The Dark 
 Windows    Are     Missing    A    Pane. 
                                          
 However,  The Greatest Difference Is The 
 Higher Floors: This  Building Has  None. 
 It  Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away 
 Infinitely Above  Me. Somewhere Up There 
 Is Some  Great  Iron  Latticework,  From 
 Where Chains  Are Suspended,  And  Parts 
 Of  Machinery  Has  Been  Falling  Down. 
                                          
 There Is,  In The  Middle Of  The  Great 
 Hall,  A  Thin   Spiral  Staircase  That 
 Leads Up There.  I Sneak Over There, And 
 Take  A Few Reluctant Steps.  After Just 
 A  Revolution, I  Notice That  For  Each 
 Step  The  Building Starts To  Glow, The 
 Bricks  Turning  A  Dark  Red, And  Then 
 Orange, All  The  Piled Up  Debree Being 
 Lit From Behind.                         
                                          
 I Stop Ready  To Run Down And  Out,  But 
 There'S Someone  Else On  The  Staircase 
 With   Me   Now,  Pressed  Close.   He'S 
 Looking  Like  Me, Short  Hair  And Thin 
 Arms, But With Ears  From  Some  Animal, 
 And More  Disturbingly,  Completely Made 
 Of Dark Liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 My  Fear  Holds  Me  In Place  While  He 
 Starts  Operating Levers  And  Dials Set 
 In The Center Of  The Staircase. Slowly, 
 It  Starts  Spinning, Circling  Upwards. 
 It'S   An  Elevator!  I  Start  To   Run 
 Downwards,  But  Now   The  Liquid   Boy 
 Creature  Grabs  Hold  Of  Me. I Try  To 
 Shake Him Off, But He'S Too  Strong, And 
 Pulls   Me   Back   Up    Beside    Him. 
                                          
 This Time,  I  Turn Angry  Instead. What 
 The  Hell?  Who Is This Guy, Acting Like 
 This?  I Reach Out My  Free Arm And Slam 
 A  Random  Lever.   Some  Metal  Bar  Is 
 Suddenly  Released  Between Us,  Hitting 
 Him  On The Arm,  Forcing My Release.  I 
 Shove Him Off Of  Me, And  He Falls Into 
 The    Levers,    Messing    Them    Up. 
 Immediately,   A  Thin  Rusty  Chainmail 
 Curtain Is Dropped Around  Me.  But  The 
 Elevator  Also  Speeds Up Significantly. 
                                          
 The  Walls  Are  Flaring   Now,  Yellow, 
 White, Almost Blue. I  Close My Eyes And 
 Curl  Into A Ball.  But Then,  The Glass 
 Boy  Screams,  A  Piercing   Sound  That 
 Forces My Eyes Back  Open. I Watch As He 
 Becomes  Too Liquid,  His  Body  Pooling 
 Down  In His Now  Massive Tail,  And The 
 Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In  A Glass 
 Drop  That   Falls  Toward  The  Factory 
 Floor.                                   
                                          
 He'S Crawling On  The  Stairs, Unable To 
 Keep His Body  Upright.  Can'T Reach The 
 Levers,  Claws  At  My  Chainmail  Cage, 
 While  His  Body  Is Turning  Into  Dark 
 Pearls.  Finally, He'S  Lost Too Much Of 
 Himself  And  The Scream  Is Cut  Short. 
 The   Last    Of   Him    Rains    Down. 
                                          
 I  Still Can'T  Reach  The  Levers  From 
 Within  My  Cage.  Looking  Up, I Try To 
 Make  Out  The  Ceiling, But It'S  All A 
 Whirling  Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows 
 The Hellfire Of  The Factory  Walls, But 
 Very Faint.  I Sit Down, Curl  Back  Up, 
 Become Still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 A  Large Clunk  Shakes  My Entire  Body, 
 And  Snaps  Me Back  Into  Reality.  I'M 
 Back  At  The  Factory  Floor,  But  The 
 Stairs   Are   Still   Moving  Slightly, 
 Clicking In Place,  Carrying Me The Last 
 Few  Centimeters.  I  Came  From  Below, 
 Somehow.  The  Chainmail  Is  Retracted, 
 And  I   Slowly  Dismount  The   Stairs. 
                                          
 Shaking  And Crying, I Make My Way  Over 
 The  Factory Floor, Wading  Through Dark 
 Glass Marbles.  A Quick Glance Down, And 
 I  See  There'S  Something  Faint Inside 
 Them.    Embryos?   Are   These    Eggs? 
                                          
 I   Shudder,   And   Climb   Back   Out.